1943
JANUARY
1943
Axis
Loss Summary -
4 U-boats
including 1 by RAF in North Atlantic; 2 by US
aircraft
off Brazil; 1 by unknown causes
FEBRUARY
1943
4th-7th
- attacked on Slow Halifax/UK
Convoy SC118 - SC118,
escorted
by the British B2 group was heavily attacked in
mid-Atlantic. A total of 20 U-boats sank 13 of
the 63
merchantmen. However, on the 4th "U-187"
was detected
by HF/DF, hunted down and
sunk by destroyers "Beverley" and
"Vimy". Three days later, Free French corvette
"Lobelia" sank "U-609" and a RAF B-17 Flying
Fortress
accounted for "U-624".
17th
-
Slow UK/North America convoy ONS165 and the
escorting
British B6 group were attacked east of
Newfoundland. "U-201" was
sunk by destroyer "Fame"
and "U-69" by "Viscount". Only two
merchantmen were lost.
22nd
-
U-boats attacked ON166 and its American A3 group
in
mid-Atlantic and sank 14 ships in the course of
four
days. In exchange "U-606"
was depth-charged
to the surface by
Polish destroyer "Burza" and Canadian corvette
"Chilliwack" and finished off by ramming by US
Coast Guard cutter "Campbell".
22nd
-
Mines laid by "U-118" in the Strait of
Gibraltar sank three merchantmen and on the 22nd
Canadian
corvette "WEYBURN" as she escorted North
Africa/UK convoy
MKS8.
23rd
-
UK/Caribbean tanker convoy UC1 lost badly to
U-boats, but
southwest of Madeira, "U-522"
was
sent
to the bottom by
cutter
"Totland".
Axis
Loss
Summary - 15 U-boats including 5 by RAF in North
Atlantic and off Portugal and Gibraltar; 2 by
RAF and US
aircraft on Bay of Biscay patrols; 1 by US Navy
in North
Atlantic.
MARCH
1943
4th
-
In operations against the US/Gibraltar routes,
"U-87"
was sunk off
Portugal by Canadian
destroyer "St Croix" and corvette
"Shediac".
11th
-
North American/UK convoy HX228 (60 ships),
escorted by
the British B3 group, lost a total of four
ships.
Destroyer "Harvester" rammed "U-444" but was
disabled and the U-boat had to be
finished off by French corvette "Aconit".
"HARVESTER", now stationary, was sunk by "U-432"
which was in turn brought to the
surface in mid-Atlantic by "Aconit's" depth
charges and finally destroyed by gunfire and
ramming.
Axis
Loss
Summary - 12 U-boats including 4 by the RAF in
North
Atlantic; 1 by RAF Bay of Biscay patrols; 1 by
US
aircraft off Barbados; 2 by US forces off the
Azores and
Canary Islands; 1 by unknown causes
APRIL
1943
2nd
- "U-124" on passage to the Freetown area
encountered UK/West Africa convoy OS45 to the
west of
Portugal. Two merchant ships were sunk, but she
was
attacked by sloop "Black Swan" and corvette
"Stonecrop" of the 37th EG and sunk in turn.
6th
-
In attacks on Halifax/UK convoy HX231 southwest
of
Iceland, two U-boats were lost - "U-635" to
frigate "Tay" of the
British B7 group and "U-632" to a RAF Liberator.
Six of the
convoy's merchantmen were lost to the 15-boat
pack.
(Note: the identity of these two U-boats is
sometimes
reversed.)
7th
-
Submarine "Tuna" on Norwegian Arctic patrol
sank "U-644" northwest of Narvik.
11th
- Destroyer
"BEVERLEY"
of the British B6 group escorting convoy ON176
was sunk
south of Greenland by "U-188".
18th
-
"U-123" on patrol south of Freetown torpedoed
and sank "P-615" (ex-Turkish) on passage to the
South
Atlantic Command to provide anti-submarine
training.
23rd-25th
- Battle of Slow UK/North
America Convoy ONS4 - ONS4
(these convoys were renumbered starting
in March) was escorted by the British B2 group
(Cdr
Macintyre) and reinforced by the 5th Escort
Group with
escort carrier "Biter". On the 23rd
"U-191" was
detected to
the south of Greenland by
HF/DF and sunk by destroyer "Hesperus" using
the Hedgehog forward-throwing A/S mortar. Two
days later
on the 25th a Swordfish of 811 Squadron
from
"Biter" found "U-203" and destroyer
"Pathfinder" finished her off.
Axis
Loss
Summary - 14 German and 1 Italian U-boats
including 3
by the RAF in the North Atlantic and off the
Canaries; 1
by RAF Bay of Biscay patrol; 1 by RAF-laid mine
in the
Bay of Biscay; 1 by RAAF north of the Faeroes; 3
to US
forces in the North and South Atlantic,
including the one
Italian
MAY
1943
|
The May
1943 Convoy
Battles - Victory of the Escorts
Colour
Code:
Convoy
groups in dark blue;
Escort
Groups
in purple;
merchant
ships
in bright blue;
U-boats
in
red
At the
beginning
of the month over 40 U-boats were
deployed in
three patrol lines off Greenland and
Newfoundland. Another group operated
to the far
west of the Bay of Biscay. A number
were passing
through the northern transit area
and over 30 on
passage between their Biscay bases
and the North
Atlantic. More still were on patrol
in the South
Atlantic or passing through. There
were numerous
Allied convoys crossing the North
Atlantic as
suitable targets, starting with
ONS5:
(1)
Slow
UK/North America ONS5 - On the
21st April,
ONS5 sailed with 42 ships from
Liverpool
outward bound for North America.
Escort was
provided by the British B7 group
(Cdr P. W. Gretton) with
two destroyers, a frigate, four
corvettes and two
trawlers. The first threat was dealt
with before
the end of April when "U-710"
was
sunk
by an escorting RAF B-17 Flying
Fortress south of Iceland. The real
battle
started in early May, south of
Greenland as all
three U-boat patrol lines closed in.
Before they
arrived the escort was reinforced by
the 3rd Escort
Group (EG) from
St John's, Newfoundland. Rough seas
made
refuelling difficult and some of the
escorts had
to leave. The 1st EG, also from St
John's sailed to
replace them. Over the next few days
13
merchantmen
were
lost,
but at a cost of a further
six U-boats.
All went down in often confused
fighting to the
south of Greenland or northeast of
Newfoundland.
More still were damaged. Type 271
radar played a
large part in the escort's
successes: 4th
- "U-630" to a RCAF Canso
(Catalina). 5th - B7 group
corvette
"Pink" sank "U-192", sister ship
"Loosestrife", also from B7 sank
"U-638". 6th - B7 group
destroyer "Vidette" sank "U-125".
Destroyer
"Oribi" detached from convoy SC127
to
join B7 together with corvette
"Snowflake" accounted for "U-531".
(The identity of
"U-125" and "U-531" is
reversed in some sources.) Finally,
"U-433"
was
sunk
by sloop "Pelican" of
the 1st EG.
The
surviving
U-boats were regrouped for attacks
on other
convoys, but in the area south of
Greenland/northeast of Newfoundland
as well as
throughout the North Atlantic,
merchantmen
sinkings went down as U-boat losses
mounted
alarmingly. Much of this was due to
the way escort
groups (EG) moved from one convoy to
another to support the existing
escorts. The number of convoys
crossing the North
Atlantic in both directions is truly
impressive
and the main movements in May,
together with the
U-boats sunk is listed here:
(2)
North
America/UK HX236 - 46 ships
escorted by British B1
group and 2nd EG (Capt Walker); no
merchant
ships lost.
11th
-
"U-528" was damaged by US aircraft
in an
earlier attacked on ONS5.
Now southwest of
Ireland, she was sunk by sloop
"Fleetwood" and RAF aircraft of No
58
Squadron.
(3)
Slow
UK/North America ONS6 - 31
ships escorted by British B6
group and 4th EG with escort carrier
"Archer"; no merchant ships lost.
(4) North
America/UK
HX237 - 46 ships escorted by
Canadian
C2 group and 5th EG with escort
carrier
"Biter". Three stragglers sunk in
exchange for possibly
three U-boats in mid-Atlantic: 12th
- "U-89" to destroyer
"Broadway" and frigate
"Lagan", both of C2 group, assisted
by
Swordfish of 811 Squadron from
"Biter".
12th - RAF B-24 Liberator of
No 120
Squadron damaged either "U-456" or
"U-753",
which may have been finished off by
destroyer
"Pathfinder" of the 5th EG.
Alternatively one of these U-boat
may have gone
missing on the 15th. (Sources vary.)
13th
- Either "U-456" or "U-753"
was then
detected by RCAF
Sunderlands of No 423 Squadron which
brought up
frigate "Lagan" and Canadian
corvette
"Drumheller" to sink the U-boat.
(5) North
America/UK
SC129 - 26 ships escorted by
British B2
group, with 5th EG transferred from
HX237 on
the 14th. Two merchant ships lost in
mid-Atlantic for two
U-boats: 12th - "U-136" to
destroyer
"Hesperus" of B2 (Cdr Macintyre). 14th
- "U-266" to a RAF B-24 Liberator of
No 86 Squadron.
(6) UK/North
America
ON182 - 56 ships escorted by
Canadian C5
group, with 4th EG and carrier
"Archer" transferred from ONS6; no
merchant
ships lost.
(7) North
America/UK
HX238 - 45 ships escorted by
Canadian C3
group; no merchant
ships lost.
(8)
Slow
UK/North America ONS7 - 40
ships escorted by British B5
group, with 3rd EG transferred from
ONS5. One ship
lost for two
U-boats destroyed in the vicinity of
the convoy
to the southeast of Greenland and
south of
Iceland: 14th - "U-657" to a
US Navy Catalina. 17th
- "U-640" to frigate
"Swale" of B5. (The identity of
"U-657" and "U-640" is
reversed in some sources.)
(9)
UK/NorthAmerica ON183 - 32
ships escorted by British B4
group, no merchant
ships lost.
(10)
North
America/UK SC130 - 38 ships
escorted by British B7
group, with 1st EG transferred from
ONS5. No merchant
ships lost in
exchange for four U-boats south of
Greenland: 19th
- "U-954" to a RAF Liberator;
"U-209" to frigates
"Jed" and "Sennen" of 1st EG;
and "U-381" to destroyer "Duncan
and corvette Snowflake of B7. 20th
- "U-258" to another RAF Liberator -
both VLR aircraft from the very
successful No 120
Squadron.
(11) UK/NorthAmerica
ON184 - 39 ships escorted by
Canadian C1
group and US 6th EG with escort
carrier
"Bogue". No merchant ships lost in
exchange for one U-boat:
22nd - "U-569" in
mid-Atlantic to
Avengers flying from "Bogue".
(12)
North
America/UK HX239 - 42 ships
escorted by British B3
group and 4th EG and carrier
"Archer" transferred from ON182 (and
before that ONS6). No merchant ships
lost in exchange for one more
U-boat: 23rd - In the first
success with
aircraft rockets, "U-752" in
mid-Atlantic was badly
damaged by "Archer's" Swordfish of
819
Squadron, and scuttled as surface
escorts
approach.
23rd
-
Italian submarine "DA VINCI"
returning from a
successful patrol off South Africa
was detected
and sunk northeast of the Azores by
destroyer
"Active" and frigate "Ness".
By the 24th,
U-boat losses were so heavy and the
attacks so
fruitless, Adm Doenitz ordered his
captains to
leave the North Atlantic
battlefield. They either
returned home or concentrated on the
US/Gibraltar
routes. It was some time before the
Allies
realised the North Atlantic was
almost free of
U-boats. The air and sea escorts
were winning.
26th
-
"U-436"
was
sunk
west of Cape Ortegal, Spain by
frigate "Test" and Indian corvette
"Hyderabad".
(13)
North
America/UK SC131 - 31 ships
escorted by British B6
group, 3rd and 40th EGs ; no
merchant
ships lost.
(14)
Slow
UK/North America ONS8 - 52
ships escorted by Canadian C4
group and 2nd EG (Capt Walker)
transferred
from HX236 ; no merchant ships lost.
(15)
North
America/UK HX240 - 56 ships
escorted by Canadian C5
group and 2nd EG from ONS8. No
merchant
ships lost in
exchange for one U-boat: 28th
- "U-304" to a RAF Liberator of No
120 Squadron south of Greenland.
Summary
statistics of these
North Atlantic convoy actions
15
convoys totalling 622
merchantmen
seven British B and five Canadian
C convoy
groups
six British and one US supporting
Escort
Groups
three escort carriers
Well
over 70 U-boats at sea
23
German U-boats sunk
11
convoys were unscathed,
four convoys lost 19 ships - a
loss rate
of 3 percent
Without
the heavy losses of
ONS5, loss rate was 1 percent
Without
the U-boats sunk in
attacked on OSN5, 16 U-boats were
lost in
exchange for 6 merchantmen
|
Axis Loss
Summary - 37 German and 1 Italian U-boats. In
addition
to those lost in or around the convoy battles: 3
by RAF
in North Atlantic; 6 by RAF and RAAF Bay of
Biscay
patrols; 4 by US forces in the North Atlantic,
off
Florida and Brazil; 2 by collision in the North
Atlantic
JUNE
1943
1st -
After supporting convoys ONS8 and HX240, Capt
Walker's
2nd EG located "U-202" south of Greenland. She
was sunk by sloop
"Starling".
above
- HMS Mermaid, 'Black
Swan-type escort sloop that included such
well-known, hard-worked and successful ships
as
Capt Walker's "Starling",
"Wren", "Woodpecker",
"Kite" and "Wild Goose" of
the 2nd Escort Group.
Bay of
Biscay Patrols - Aircraft of Coastal
Command
continued covering U-boat exit routes from
western France
and were joined by surface escort groups covered
by
cruisers. At the same time U-boats were fitted
with heavy
AA armament to enable them to fight their way
out on the
surface in groups. U-boat sinkings went down as
Allied
aircraft losses mounted, but four U-boats were
destroyed: 1st - "U-418" to a
rocket-firing RAF Beaufighter.
14th
- "U-564" to a RAF Whitley. 24th -
The
2nd EG (Capt Walker) accompanied by cruiser
"Scylla" accounted for two submarines northwest
of Cape Ortegal, NW Spain. Tanker "U-119"
was
brought to
the surface and rammed by
"Starling". With her Asdic out of action from
the ramming, "Starling" left the sinking of
"U-449" to "Wren",
"Woodpecker", "Kite" and "Wild
Goose".
Northern Transit
Area -
In the waters through which Norwegian-based
U-boats had
to sail for their patrol areas, two submarines
were sunk:
4th - "U-308"
north of the Faeroe
Islands
by submarine
"Truculent" on
anti-U-boat patrol between Norway and Iceland. 11th
- "U-417" by a RAF Fortress in the same
northern transit area.
14th - In the
North
Atlantic "U-334" and other U-boats simulated the
radio
transmissions of large wolf packs. She was
located and
sunk by frigate "Jed" and sloop
"Pelican" of the 1st EG.
Axis Loss Summary -
16 German and 1
Italian U-boats including 4 by US and RAF
aircraft off
Iceland and the Strait of Gibraltar, and the
Italian boat
in the North Atlantic; 3 by the US Navy (one off
the east
coast of America and two to escort carrier
"Bogue" off the Azores); 1 by French aircraft
off Dakar.
JULY
1943
15th - "U-135"
attacked
UK/West
Africa convoy OS51 off the
Canary Islands, and was depth-charged by the
escort
including sloop "Rochester" and corvette
"Balsam". She was sunk when corvette
"Mignonette" rammed.
24th - After
six
months effort the bombing campaign against
U-boat bases
claimed its first success on the 24th when
"U-622"
was
badly damaged in a
USAAF raid on
Trondheim, Norway and paid off.
30th - The Bay
of
Biscay offensive by the RAF and Australian,
Canadian and
American aircraft reached a peak and 10 U-boats
were
sunk and many others
damaged in
July. On the 30th, two 'milchcows', "U-461" and
"U-462" escorted by "U-504", were
located to the northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain.
In a
running battle "U-461"
was finally
sunk by Sunderland U/461
of RAF No 461 Squadron. "U-462" also went down
in the fighting.
Capt Walker's 2nd EG was called to the scene and
accounted for "U-504" with "Kite",
"Woodpecker", "Wren" and "Wild
Goose".
Axis
Loss
Summary - 34
U-boats including 3 by RAF and US
aircraft off Portugal; 7 by US escort carrier
groups
south and west of the Azores (6 of these by
aircraft from
"Core", "Santee" or
"Bogue"); 9 by US aircraft in the Caribbean and
off Brazil.
AUGUST
1943
Early
August - "U-647" on passage out may have
been lost on the
Iceland/Faeroes mine barrage around the 3rd of
the month.
If so she was the only casualty of this vast
minefield
throughout the war. RCAF aircraft sank "U-489"
in the same area.
11th
- "U-468" was
sunk off
Dakar, West Africa by a RAF
Liberator of No 200 Squadron. The final attacked
was
carried out with the aircraft in flames and just
before
she crashed. The Liberator's commanding officer,
Plt Off
Lloyd Trigg RNZAF, was posthumously awarded the
Victoria Cross, solely on the evidence of the
U-boat's survivors.
25th
-
"U-523" attacked UK/Gibraltar convoy OG92
to the far west of Cape Finisterre, Spain and
was sunk by
destroyer "Wanderer" and corvette
"Wallflower".
27th
-
Bay of Biscay air patrols sank five U-boats in
August and continued to
co-operate with surface ships. On the 27th,
German Do217
aircraft launched some of the first Hs293 glider
bombs
against ships of the 1st Escort Group. To the
south of
Cape Finisterre, sloop "EGRET"
was
hit and blown up, and
Canadian
destroyer "Athabaskan" damaged.
30th
-
In attacks on Sierra Leone/UK convoy SL135
northeast of
the Azores, "U-634"
was
sunk by sloop
"Stork" and
corvette "Stonecrop".
Axis
Loss
Summary - 20 U-boats including 6 by aircraft of
US
escort carriers Card and Core off the Azores and
in
mid-Atlantic; 2 by US aircraft in the Caribbean
area; 1
by RAF and French aircraft off Dakar; 1 by US
forces in
the South Atlantic
SEPTEMBER
1943
19th-22nd
- Assault on the Escorts:
Convoys ONS18 and ON202 - The
German wolf-packs returned to the North
Atlantic armed with Gnat acoustic torpedoes
designed to
home in on and disable the escorts so the
U-boats could
reach the merchantmen. Adm Doenitz established a
patrol
line of 19 U-boats southwest of Iceland ready
for UK-out
convoys ONS18 (27 ships escorted by the
British B3
group) and ON202 (42 ships and Canadian
C2 group),
which set out separately. First blood went to
the RCAF on
the 19th when "U-347"
was
sent to the bottom.
Over the next
three days six merchant ships were lost and the
escorts
suffered badly in the Gnat attacks. Two more
U-boats were
also sunk: 19th - Destroyer "Escapade"
of B3 was badly damaged by a
premature explosion of her Hedgehog. 20th
-
British frigate "Lagan" of C2 was damaged by
"U-270" or
"U-260", but shortly after "U-338"
was sunk by a
VLR aircraft of RAF No 120
Squadron using the Allies' own acoustic torpedo
- 'Fido'.
"LAGAN"
was
towed home as
a constructive total
loss.
The two convoys
joined up
southeast of Greenland and the escort was
reinforced by
the Canadian 9th EG. 20th - Canadian
destroyer "ST
CROIX" (ex-US) of
the 9th EG was lost to an attack by "U-305" and
British corvette "POLYANTHUS" of C2 was hit by a
Gnat, probably from
"U-952" or possibly "U-641". 22nd
- Destroyer "Keppel" of B3 sank "U-229", by
which time the convoys were
south of Cape Farewell, Greenland. By now
frigate "ITCHEN" of the 9th EG had on board most
of
the survivors of "St Croix" and
"Polyanthus". Around midnight she was hit, in
all likelihood by "U-666" and went down taking
all but three men of the three ships' companies
with her.
(Note: "U-952" or "U-260" might also
have been responsible for "ltchen's" loss.)
Fortunately the Allies had anticipated the
introduction
of acoustic torpedoes and soon put into service
'Foxer'
noisemakers, towed astern to attract the Gnat
away from
the vessel. The U-boats did not repeat their
successes.
Axis
Loss
Summary - 6 U-boats including 1 each by RAF and
RCAF
Bay of Biscay patrols, and 1 by US aircraft off
Brazil
OCTOBER
1943
8th
-
In attacks on Halifax/UK convoy SC143, "U-610"
or "U-378" sank Polish destroyer "ORKAN"
(ex-"Myrmidon") with an
acoustic torpedo. Later in the day RAF and RCAF
air
escorts sank "U-419", "U-643" and "U-610".
16th-17th
- Attacks on Convoys ON206 and
ONS20 - Six
U-boats
were lost in exchange for a single merchantman
in
attacks on UK-out convoys ON206 (B6 group) and
ONS20 (4th
Escort Group). The 4th EG was composed mainly of
the new
US lease-lend 'Captain' class frigates. The B7
group
commanded by Cdr Gretton first of all reinforced
ON206.
On the 16th, southeast of Greenland, RAF
Liberators accounted for "U-470",
"U-844"
and
"U-964". Next day on the 17th it was
"U-540's"
turn. Shortly after,
as B7 transferred to ONS20, corvette
"Sunflower" sank "U-631" with her Hedgehog.
Still on the
17th, frigate "Byard" with the 4th EG escorting
ONS20 sank "U-841". Cdr Gretton then took B7 to
support nearby
ON207.
23rd-29th
- Attacks on Convoys ON207 and
ON208 - South
of
Iceland, B7 reinforced ON207's already
formidable
escort consisting of the Canadian C1 group and
Capt
Walker's 2nd EG. On the 23rd a RAF
Liberator of No
224 Squadron and B7 destroyers "Duncan" and
"Vidette" shared in the sinking of "U-274".
Three days later the RCAF got "U-420". Then on
the 29th, by now with
ON208, B7 ships "Duncan",
"Vidette" and Sunflower" sank "U-282". In less
then two weeks in attacks
on just four convoys, nine U-boats had been sunk
by the
highly efficient inter-service air and sea
escorts.
31st
-
Northeast of the Azores, destroyer "Whitehall"
and corvette "Geranium" of the British B1 group
escorting North and West Africa/UK convoys MKS28
and
SL138 detected "U-306" by HF/DF and sent her to
the bottom.
Axis
Loss Summary -
23 U-boats
including 4 by RAF and US aircraft in North
Atlantic and
off Portugal; 6 by US escort carriers "Card",
"Core" and "Block Island" off the
Azores and in mid-Atlantic.
NOVEMBER
1943
6th
-
Capt Walker's Escort Group with escort carrier
"Tracker" patrolled east of Newfoundland in
support of convoy HX264. "U-226"
was
sighted by "Tracker's"
aircraft and destroyed by sloops "Starling",
"Kite" and "Woodcock". Shortly after,
"Starling", this time with "Wild
Goose", accounted for "U-842".
19th-25th
- Attacks on the UK/ North and
West Africa Convoy Routes - Combined
UK-bound convoys MKS30 and SL139 were
escorted by the 40th Escort Group and joined in
turn by
the 7th, 5th and 4th EG's to the far west and
northwest
of Portugal. One merchantman was lost to air
attack, but
three U-boats went down in the fighting: 19th
- "U-211" to a RAF Wellington. 20th -
Frigate "Nene" and Canadian corvettes
"Calgary" and "Snowberry" of the 5th
EG sank "U-536". 21st - Frigate "Foley"
and
sloop "Crane" of the 40th EG accounted for
"U-538".
Northwest of Cape
Finisterre, Hs293 glider bombs sank the one
merchant ship
lost. The surviving U-boats were next deployed
against
other convoys in the area. As the U-boats
approached
southbound convoys KMS30/0S59 they ran into the
4th EG,
which had also been diverted: 23rd - Frigates
"Bazely",
"Blackwood" and
"Drury" sank "U-648". 25th - Two days
later
"Bazely" and "Blackwood" sank "U-600". Later, in
the same area around
the Azores, a RAF Wellington accounted for
"U-542", and aircraft from US escort
carrier "Bogue" the "U-86".
Axis
Loss
Summary - 16 U-boats including 2 by RAF
and
US Bay of Biscay air patrols; 2 by RAF in North
Atlantic
and off the Azores; 3 by US forces in
mid-Atlantic and
off Ascension in the South Atlantic.
DECEMBER
1943
24th
-
Destroyer "HURRICANE" of the 1st EG with
UK/African convoys OS62
and KMS36 was torpedoed by "U-305" or
"U-415" northeast of the Azores. She was
scuttled next day.
Axis
Loss
Summary - 5 U-boats including 1 by RAF Bay of
Biscay
patrol; 3 by US Navy in Azores and Madeira
areas; 1
scuttled after storm damage in mid-Atlantic.
1944
JANUARY
1944
7th - U-boats
concentrated against UK/West and North African
convoys,
mainly to the west and southwest of Ireland, and
eight
were lost from all causes, but first the Royal
Navy
suffered a loss. As the 5th Escort Group swept
to the
west of Cape Finisterre, frigate "TWEED"
was
torpedoed and
sunk by
"U-305". Intense A/S activity further north saw
"U-305" lost well before the month was out. 8th
-
"U-757" to
frigate "Bayntun" and Canadian corvette
"Camrose" of the 4th and 5th EGs escorting
OS64/KM538. 13th - Northeast of the
Azores "U-231" was
lost to a RAF
Leigh light Wellington. 15th
- Off the Azores "U-377"
was
sunk by one
of her own torpedoed. 17th
- Back to the waters west of Ireland, and
"U-305"
was
now sunk by destroyer
"Wanderer" returning from a search for blockade
runners. 19th - "U-641" attacked OS65
and KMS39 and went
down to corvette "Violet" of the British B3
group. 28th - Operations against
OS66/KMS40 led to
the loss of "U-271" to a US Navy Liberator and
"U-571" to a RAAF Sunderland flying boat -
one of the famous "flying porcupines". West of
Ireland "U-972" suffered the same "own-torpedo"
fate as "U-377" two weeks earlier.
Capt
Walker's
2nd Escort Group -
Capt Walker with
sloops
"Starling", "Kite",
"Magpie", "Wild Goose" and
"Woodpecker" accompanied by escort carriers
"Activity" and "Nairana" arrived in
the waters to the southwest of Ireland. Over the
next
three weeks the five sloops shared in the
sinking of six
U-boats operating against the convoys passing
through the
area. They started on the 31st when
"Starling", "Magpie" and "Wild
Goose" depth charged "U-592" to destruction.
Axis
Loss
Summary - 13
U-boats
including 2 by RAF and RAAF Bay of Biscay
patrols; 1 by
RAF-laid mine in Bay of Biscay; 1 by US escort
carrier
Guadalcanal off the Azores
FEBRUARY
1944
Capt
Walker's 2nd Escort Group continued
- U-boat
concentrations
again suffered badly to the west and
southwest of Ireland, and 10 boats were lost,
all to the
Royal Navy in exchange for a sloop and one
straggler.
Capt Walker's 2nd EG accounted for five, which
added to
the one on 31st January gave a record for U-boat
sinkings
in one patrol only equalled by the US destroyer
escort
"England" in the South West Pacific in May
1944: 8th - In support of convoys SL147/MKS38,
Capt Walker in "Starling" together with
"Kite", "Magpie", "Wild
Goose" and "Woodpecker" shared in the
sinking of "U-762". 9th - "Starling",
"Kite", "Magpie", "Wild
Goose" and "Woodpecker" now shared in the
sinking of "U-734" and "U-238". 11th -
Back to the southwest
of Ireland, "Wild Goose" and
"Woodpecker" hunted down "U-424" and destroy her
with depth
charges. 19th - The 2nd EG now
supporting ON224
was attacked by "U-264". Brought to the
surface by
"Starling" and "Woodpecker", she was
scuttled, the first of the schnorkel-equipped
boats to be
lost. 19th - As Capt Walker's Group
looked for its
seventh victim "WOODPECKER"
lost
her stern to
an acoustic torpedo from
"U-764". Towed slowly home, she sank on the
27th off the Scilly Islands.
Other supporting
Escort
Groups also had their successes in the month: 10th
-
West of Ireland, "U-666"
was sunk
by Swordfish of 842 Squadron
from escort carrier "Fencer" in support of
trans-Atlantic convoy ON223. 18th -
Frigate
"Spey" of the 10th EG with ONS29 sank "U-406". 19th
- As the 10th EG
transferred to convoy ON224 (2nd EG was also in
support),
"Spey" claimed another success with the sinking
of
"U-386". 24th
- West of Ireland, "U-257"
was
sunk by
Canadian frigate
"Waskesiu" of the 6th EG with Halifax/UK convoy
SC153. 25th - Further south "U-91"
was lost
to frigates
"Affleck", "Gore" and
"Gould" of the 1st EG carrying out an A/S
patrol in support of the convoys in the
vicinity.
Axis Loss Summary -
13 U-boats
including 2 by RAF to the west of Scotland; 1 by
US Navy
aircraft off Ascension Island
MARCH
1944
1st - The 1st
Escort Group, last recorded five days earlier
sinking
"U-91" was now to the far southwest of Ireland,
north of the Azores. Frigates "Affleck",
"Gould", "Garlies" and
"Gore" had already hunted a contact for 30hr
when the second two ships had to leave for
Gibraltar.
Late on the 1st the tables were turned when
"GOULD"
was hit
and sunk by a Gnat acoustic
torpedo. That just left "Affleck" which located
"U-358" and sent her to the bottom with
depth charges and gunfire. At 38hr this was
probably the
longest continuous U-boat hunt of the war.
6th - In
another
long hunt lasting 30hr, the Canadian C2 group
escorting
Halifax/UK convoy HX280 sank "U-744" in
mid-Atlantic. Canadian
destroyers "Chaudiere" and
"Gatineau", frigate "St Catherines",
corvettes "Chilliwack" and "Fennel"
and British destroyer "lcarus" were joined by
corvette "Kenilworth Castle" before the action
was over.
9th - Corvette
"ASPHODEL"
escorting West and
North Africa/UK convoys SL150/MKS41 was
torpedoed and
sunk by "U-575" to the west of the Bay of
Biscay. The U-boat was lost four days later.
10th - In an
attack
on Halifax/UK convoy SC154, "U-845"
was
sunk in
mid-Atlantic by Canadian C1
group including destroyer "St Laurent",
frigates "Owen Sound", "Swansea" and
British destroyer "Forester".
13th - RAF
Wellingtons flying from the Azores attacked
"U-575" well to the north. She was finally
sent to the bottom by the aircraft and ships of
the US
escort carrier "Bogue" task group and Canadian
frigate "Prince Rupert" from nearby convoy
ON227.
15th - In
mid-Atlantic, Swordfish of 825 Squadron from
escort
carrier "Vindex" working with 2nd EG's
"Starling" and "Wild Goose" sank "U-653" - Capt
Walker's 13th kill.
25th -'Tsetse'
Mosquitos of RAF Coastal Command armed with new
6pdr guns
had their first success. On Bay of Biscay patrol
one of
them sank "U-976".
Axis Loss Summary -
13 U-boats
including 1 by RCAF off Ireland; 4 by the
aircraft and
ships of USS Block Island off the Azores and
Cape Verde
Islands; 1 by unknown causes in the North
Atlantic; 1 by
SAAF off South Africa
APRIL
1944
6th - "U-302"
sank
two ships
from Halifax/UK convoy
SC156 to the northwest of the Azores before
being
destroyed by frigate "Swale" of the British B5
group.
8th - To the
northwest of Cape Finisterre, sloops "Crane"
and "Cygnet" of the 7th EG accounted for
"U-962".
14th - North
of the
Azores "U-448" attacked escort carrier
"Biter" but was detected by Canadian frigate
"Swansea" of the 9th EG and sunk by her and
sloop "Pelican" of the 7th.
19th -
Norwegian
submarine "Ula" working with the Home Fleet
flotillas and on patrol off Stavanger, SW Norway
sank "U-974".
Axis Loss Summary -
13 U-boats
including 2 by RAF in North Atlantic; 1 by RAF
Bay of
Biscay patrol; 6 by US Navy forces off America,
Madeira,
Cap Verde Islands and in North Atlantic.
MAY
1944
5th/6th - The
2nd
and 5th EGs in the North Atlantic detected
U-boats by
HF/DF after the torpedoing of a US destroyer.
"U-473"
was
found by 2nd EG (Capt
Walker) and
sunk on the 5th by "Starling", "Wren"
and "Wild Goose". Next day it was the 5th EG's
turn (Cdr Macintyre). Aircraft of 825 Squadron
from
escort carrier "Vindex" located "U-765" and
frigates "Aylmer",
"Bickerton" and "Bligh" shared in her
destruction.
6th - The US
escort
carrier "Block Island" group was again on
patrol in the Atlantic off the Canaries and
being
directed to U-boats by the work of 'Ultra' and
the
Admiralty Tracking Room. On the 6th her aircraft
and
accompanying destroyer escorts sank "U-66". Then
at the end of the month, the
carrier was sunk.
7th - Canadian
frigate "VALLEYFIELD", with a Canadian group
escorting UK/North
America convoy ONM234, was sunk off Cape Race,
Newfoundland by "U-548".
16th-27th
- RAF Coastal Command and one of its Norwegian
squadrons
were particularly successful against the U-boats
passing
through the Northern Transit Area off south and
west
Norway. In the space of 12 days, "U-240",
"U-241", "U-476", "U-675",
"U-990"
and
"U-292"
were sunk.
29th - USS
BLOCK ISLAND
was torpedoed
and sunk by "U-549" in the Canaries area, but
her task
group soon avenged the loss of their leader.
Axis Loss Summary -
11 U-boats
including 1 by RCAF Bay of Biscay patrol
JUNE
1944
4th - Off
West
Africa, "U-505"
was captured
by the USS Guadalcanal and her
task group. Later in the month, tanker "U-490"
was
sunk in
mid-Atlantic by the ships and
aircraft of the "Croatan" group and "U-360" in
the South Atlantic by aircraft
from "Solomons".
15th -
Submarine
"Satyr" on Arctic patrol torpedoed and sank
"U-987" to the west of Narvik.
26th -
Destroyer
"Bulldog" on patrol off the northwest coast of
Ireland sank "U-719".
U-boats passing
through
the Bay of Biscay were the target for aircraft
covering
the Normandy invasion, and also continued to
suffer badly
at the hands of the aircraft of the Northern
Transit Area
patrol. Throughout the month, eight
were sunk
and one severely damaged by
RAF, RCAF and Norwegian aircraft.
Axis Loss Summary -
13 U-boats
excluding those sunk in Bay of Biscay as part of
the
Normandy Invasion defences
JULY
1944
Axis
Loss Summary -
7 U-boats including
4 by RAF Coastal Command in the Northern Transit
Area; 1
each by task groups of US escort carriers "Wake
Island", "Croatan" and "Card"
off the Canaries, Madeira and Nova Scotia
respectively
AUGUST
1944
Axis
Loss
Summary - 1 U-boat by aircraft of escort carrier
"Bogue" off Newfoundland
SEPTEMBER
1944
U-boat
Inshore Campaign - With the
start of the British Isles Inshore Campaign,
U-boats sunk off Norway and in the Western
Approaches as
well as the Bay of Biscay are no longer included
in the
Battle of the Atlantic, but in the European
theatre. The
same applies to Royal Navy and German surface
warships
lost. See
Western
Europe -
Normandy to Berlin
Axis
Loss
Summary - 5 U-boats including 1 cause unknown
and 1
mined off Iceland; 1 by RAF off the Azores; 1 by
US Navy
off Cape Verde Islands; 1 by US aircraft in
South
Atlantic
OCTOBER
1944
Axis
Loss
Summary - 1 U-boat in the North Atlantic due to
schnorkel defect.
DECEMBER
1944
27th - "U-877"
encountered Halifax/UK convoy
HX327 to the northwest of the Azores and was
sunk by
Canadian corvette "St Thomas" of the C3 group.
Axis Loss Summary - 1
German U-boat
1945
JANUARY
1945
Axis
Loss
Summary - 1 U-boat by USN in mid-Atlantic
FEBRUARY
1945
22nd - In
operations against convoys south of Portugal,
"U-300", one of a small number of U-boats
scattered across the North Atlantic was sunk by
escorting
minesweepers "Recruit" and "Pincher".
Axis Loss Summary - 2
U-boats including
1 by US and French escorts off Morocco
MARCH
1945
Axis
Loss
Summary - 1 U-boat by USN off Nova Scotia
APRIL
1945
Axis
Loss
Summary - 7 U-boats by USN off east coast of
USA,
off the Azores and in mid-Atlantic
MAY
1945
6th - "U-881"
was
sunk by the US Navy
south of
Newfoundland. On the same day, "U-853"
torpedoed
freighter
"Black Point" off
New York, and was then hunted down and sunk by
US
destroyer escort "Atherton" and frigate
"Moberley".
Axis Loss Summary - 2
German U-boats
